President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday his nomination of Emil Bove, a senior Justice Department appointee and former attorney on Trump’s criminal defense team, to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit.
Trump announced the nomination in a post on Truth Social, calling him “respected by everyone,” after media reports last week suggested Bove could be tapped for the appointment.
“It is my great honor to nominate Emil Bove to serve as a Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit,” Trump said. “Emil is a distinguished graduate of Georgetown Law, and served as Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York for nearly a decade, where he was the Co-Chief of the Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit.”
“Emil is SMART, TOUGH, and respected by everyone. He will end the Weaponization of Justice, restore the Rule of Law, and do anything else that is necessary to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. Emil Bove will never let you down!” the president concluded.
Attorney General Pam Bondi expressed her excitement about the nomination, congratulating Bove on his selection by the president.
Congratulations to my friend Emil Bove on his exciting nomination! Emil has been an indispensable partner at the Department of Justice and has worked tirelessly from day one as we make America safe again. It is hard to imagine going to work without Emil, but our loss here at DOJ… pic.twitter.com/cR4WuBsjnS
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) May 28, 2025
“Emil has been an indispensable partner at the Department of Justice and has worked tirelessly from day one as we make America safe again. It is hard to imagine going to work without Emil, but our loss here at DOJ will be the country’s gain!” Bondi posted on X.
Bove faced criticism from some conservative legal commentators last week after reports about his potential nomination to the 3rd Circuit swirled. Ed Whelan of the Ethics and Public Policy Center and National Review columnist who has frequently criticized Trump, led the criticism of the potential nomination, calling Bove a “DOJ henchman” and saying it would be “very bad news” for people hoping Trump would continue his “outstanding appellate nominations” from his first term.
Several Trump DOJ officials, including Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, defended Bove from the criticism mounted by Whelan and others. Blanche posted on X last week that the “cheap shots say more about their authors than about him” and that “envy is loud, but it’s not persuasive.”
Upon the news of Bove’s nomination Wednesday, Blanche said he “couldn’t be prouder” of Bove and called him a “brilliant legal mind.”
Mike Davis, founder and president of right-wing judicial advocacy group the Article III Project, said Bove’s nomination is evidence that Trump has “delivered on his promise to appoint bold, fearless, and principled judges.”
“Emil’s nomination is a direct challenge to the rogue elements in our legal system that think they’re above the Constitution,” Davis said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The left fears Emil Bove because he’s effective. The establishment right resents him because he refuses to play by their rules. But that’s exactly why President Trump chose him, and exactly why the Article III Project proudly supports his nomination. Emil is the kind of judicial nominee who doesn’t flinch when it counts, and that’s what our courts desperately need,” Davis added.
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If confirmed by the Senate, Bove would serve on the federal appeals court presiding over Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware with no term limit.
The GOP-led Senate has not held any hearings to confirm Trump’s judicial nominees in the four months since he returned to office, but a report from Axios claims Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) will hold a hearing for the first slate of nominees on June 4. Trump revealed his first selection of judicial nominees earlier this month, with his first nomination being Whitney Hermandorfer to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit.
